peg
noun
a pin of wood or other material driven or fitted into something, as to fasten parts together, to hang things on, to make fast a rope or string on, to stop a hole, or to mark some point.
peg
1 American
[peg]
/ pɛg /
noun
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pegs
plural
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a pin of wood or other material driven or fitted into something, as to fasten parts together, to hang things on, to make fast a rope or string on, to stop a hole, or to mark some point.
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Informal. a leg, either real or wooden.
still on his pegs at 99.
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a notch or degree.
to come down a peg.
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an occasion, basis, or reason.
a peg to hang a grievance on.
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Music. Also a pin of wood or metal in the neck of a stringed instrument that may be turned in its socket to adjust a string's tension.
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Informal. a throw, especially in baseball.
The peg to the plate was late.
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Economics. the level at which some price, exchange rate, etc., is set.
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British, Indian English. an alcoholic drink, especially a whiskey or brandy and soda.
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British. clothespin.
verb (used with object)
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pegs,
present (3rd person singular)
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pegged,
past participle, past
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pegging
present participle
-
to drive or insert a peg into.
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to fasten with or as with pegs.
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to mark with pegs.
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to strike or pierce with or as with a peg.
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to keep (the commodity price, exchange rate, etc.) at a set level, as by manipulation or law.
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Informal. to throw (a ball).
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Journalism. to base (an article, feature story, etc.) upon; justify by (usually followed byon ).
The feature on the chief of police was pegged on the riots.
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Informal. to identify.
to peg someone as a good prospect.
verb (used without object)
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pegs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
pegged,
past participle, past
-
pegging
present participle
-
to work or continue persistently or energetically.
to peg away at a homework assignment.
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Informal. to throw a ball.
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Croquet. to strike a peg, as in completing a game.
adjective
idioms
Peg
2
American
[peg]
/ pɛg /
noun
peg
British
/ pɛɡ /
noun
-
a small cylindrical pin or dowel, sometimes slightly tapered, used to join two parts together
-
a pin pushed or driven into a surface: used to mark scores, define limits, support coats, etc
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music any of several pins passing through the head ( peg box ) of a stringed instrument, which can be turned so as to tune strings wound around them See also pin
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US and Canadian equivalent: clothespin. Also called: clothes peg. a split or hinged pin for fastening wet clothes to a line to dry
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informal a person's leg
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dialect a tooth
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a small drink of wine or spirits, esp of brandy or whisky and soda
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an opportunity or pretext for doing something
a peg on which to hang a theory
-
a mountaineering piton
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croquet a post that a player's ball must strike to win the game
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angling a fishing station allotted to an angler in a competition, marked by a peg in the ground
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informal a level of self-esteem, importance, etc (esp in the phrases bring or take down a peg )
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informal See peg leg
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(of clothes) ready to wear, as opposed to tailor-made
verb
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(tr) to knock or insert a peg into or pierce with a peg
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to secure with pegs
to peg a tent
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mountaineering to insert or use pitons
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(tr) to mark (a score) with pegs, as in some card games
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informal (tr) to aim and throw (missiles) at a target
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(intr; foll by away, along, etc) to work steadily
he pegged away at his job for years
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(tr) to stabilize (the price of a commodity, an exchange rate, etc) by legislation or market operations
peg
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pegsimple
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pegssimple
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have peggedperfect
-
has peggedperfect
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am peggingprogressive
-
are peggingprogressive
-
is peggingprogressive
-
have been peggingperfect progressive
-
has been peggingperfect progressive
Past
-
peggedsimple
-
had peggedperfect
-
was peggingprogressive
-
were peggingprogressive
-
had been peggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of peg
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English pegge (noun), peggen (verb), from Middle Dutch
Explanation
A peg is a bolt or pin that holds something in place or marks a location. When you use peg as a verb, it means to identify someone or something: "I pegged you as a word lover, the first time I laid eyes on you." A coat rack might consist of a line of wooden pegs, and you might also secure a tent by driving metal pegs into the ground to hold it there. When you fasten or pierce something with a peg, you can say you peg it. Informally, if you peg a person, you make a judgment about them: "I'd peg him as a messy housekeeper based on the way his dorm room looks."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Police had falsely accused Walters of the crime simply to knock him down a peg?
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Some suggest the U.S. is missing around two million housing units, while others peg the figure at around 10 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Business investment accounts for about 19% of GDP, making it the next-largest peg.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
A massive parasitic outbreak has taken Taco Bell down a peg, and now it has to rebuild its momentum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Father took his tall hat from the wall peg.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Peg Pardini began as a fitness trainer and became a CPR coach in her 50s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
“When Liam was taken, we had this devastating loss,” Valley View teacher Peg Nelson said.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2026
"The labor market came in a little bit better than I came to expect over the last few months," he told The Peg, a Substack page run by journalist Izabella Kaminska.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
"She's still just plain old Peg," said Mrs Middleton.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2024
For, though Peg loved the actor manager and—temporarily—loved no one else, yet it was not in her superwoman nature to rest meekly content with the attentions of one man.
From Superwomen by Albert Payson Terhune
Affin Hwang maintains a neutral rating on Malaysia’s oil and gas sector, and pegs Dialog and Bumi Armada as top buys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
For me, clothes pegs were always useful for keeping outfits together wherever possible.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The IEA pegs the amount displaced by EVs at 1.5 million barrels a day in the second quarter, compared with less than 900,000 barrels a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Talladega Nights” pegs this missing link between America’s urban past and its exurban future from its opening seconds, putting a quote about “hot, nasty, badass speed” in the mouth of New York Swell Eleanor Roosevelt.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Lena took the board from Kendra and began setting up the pegs.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Media reports late last month had pegged the figure at $70 billion based on information given to investors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
It pegged the net purchase price at about $3.85 billion, less estimated price adjustments including allocations of certain revenues and expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Chatfield asked the Los Angeles Times in 1997 in response to criticism from community members and some local officials who pegged his nonprofit as inconveniencing residents by helping homeless people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Blown away in a 26-minute opening set, fourth seed Gauff was twice pegged back from a break up in a scrappy second set before coming through a 16-point tie-break to force a decider.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
She was angry with me and pleased with herself for having Cecile pegged right.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
RHB maintains a neutral rating on Malaysian banks, pegging AMMB, Malayan Banking and Hong Leong Bank as top picks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
TA Securities maintains a neutral rating on Malaysia’s semiconductor sector, pegging Dagang NeXchange as its top pick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Goldman Sachs strategist on Thursday charted five-year rolling returns on the all-important 10-year Treasury note — pegging it as the worst such period for returns in more than a century.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Affin Hwang maintains an overweight rating on Malaysia’s healthcare sector, pegging IHH Healthcare as its top pick.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
“I suppose you are going to college soon? I see you pegging away at your books, no, I mean studying hard.”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
